The  SAACI Annual National Congress will be changing gear in 2021 and will take place, for the very first time, as a hybrid event. Our proud host city, the City of Johannesburg, is the economic and financial heartland of South Africa and world class African city and will host the in-person.  At the same time delegates will be able to register and attend the live stream from anywhere with the comfort of any device. We truly are CHANGING GEAR and INSPIRING CHANGE.

The theme for this year’s congress – CHANGING GEAR and INSPIRING CHANGE - Confidence in Business Events, was designed to challenge and dare us to find solutions to the unusual times we currently live and work in…. 

Southern Africa – in fact, the entire globe – is facing challenging and unknown times. Our industry too, is affected by this. It cannot be business as usual, in fact it is business unusual.

We can choose to embrace the challenges and face the uncertainty head-on by CHANGING GEAR and INSPIRING CHANGE, or we can choose to become victims of the times we are faced with and put our heads in the sand in the hope that all the challenges facing our industry will simply go away …

What is in a name?

Just over a year ago, our country fell silent. No movement. No human contact. No idea how we will deal with this life-changing experience and how devastating this pandemic will be on our industry. It is therefore with defaulted mixed emotions that we find ourselves acknowledging the year that was. This day is one that will always evoke ambivalent feelings as it affected all of us in very different ways.

Now here we are, more than a year down the line, having learnt a lot about ourselves personally as well as about our industry. With the arrival of the vaccine, we can now look forward to recovery coming. We all want to get back to the business of connecting people, ideas, and opportunities. We also know that you want answers and insights on what the future holds for your businesses and our industry.

The theme for the SAACI Annual National Congress seeks to Change the Gear in which the Business Events Industry finds itself in a post-pandemic world.  In partnership with the City of Johannesburg,  we have a jam-packed programme, designed to assist you in growing your business.  Our industry is given the opportunity to collaborate, engage with one another and gain knowledge from the experts.  The program has been designed to ensure that by attending you will have information to help you survive and be inspired and will be:

·         Placing a spotlight on where Business Events currently find itself.

·         Discussing the key areas affecting our sector to find solutions.

·         Learning from experts that have made positive changes in their environment.

We get it… money is tight. Therefore, we are committed to making our SAACI Annual National Congress affordable. This is your future and the future of an industry that you helped build from invisible to invincible.

Making connections is a cornerstone of why we all gather at events. By offering a combination of live streaming and an in-person event we look forward to connecting with you how, where and when you want to participate.

We were all caught unaware by the disruption but it’s time to change gear and inspire change in order to thrive.

Dates:   19 May 2021 (Online Event) & 20 May 2021(Hybrid Event) 

**PLEASE NOTE: The content for this event will be available On Demand after the event for all registered participants.

Venue:  Indaba Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre, or virtually www.saaci.org

Look forward to changing gear with you,